Silent Letters

These are those letters in words which are not pronounced when we say the word. In other words, these letters or alphabets are written when spelling the word but not said out loud verbally. This is mainly because of the changes in pronunciation that the English language has seen over the centuries, in olden times the silent letters used to be pronounced and the spellings also varied greatly. On this page we have listed out the different types of silent alphabets and examples of the words they are used in.

Silent B

The alphabet ‘B’ is not pronounced when it comes after ‘M’ in a word

- Climb

- Plumber

- Tomb

- Comb

Silent C

'C' is not pronounced in words like

- Muscle

- Scissors

- Acquire

Silent D

'D' is not pronounced in words like:

- Sandwich

- Wednesday

- Edge

Silent G

The alphabet is not pronounced when it comes before ‘N’ or ‘M’

- Gnat

- Diaphragm

Silent GH

'GH' is not pronounced before 'T' and at the end of many words

- Rough

- Through

- Alight

- Light

- Borough

Silent H

‘H’ is not pronounced when it comes after ‘W’

- Why

- Whether

- Where

Sometimes the ‘H’ is silent for some words, even when it is the first letter of the word

- Hour

- Heir

‘H’ is not pronounced when it comes before ‘Y’

- Thyme

- Rhyme

Silent K

Whenever ‘K’ is followed by an ‘N’ at the beginning of a word, ‘K’ is not pronounced

- Knot

- Knight

- Knock

- Knowledge

Silent L

‘L’ stays silent in most words when it comes before ‘D’,’ F’, ‘M’, ‘K’.

- Yolk

- Half

- Calm

- Talk

Should

Silent N

‘N’ is not pronounced when it follows ‘M’ in a word

- Autumn

- Column

Silent P

‘P’ remains silent when it starts a word and is followed by ‘sy’ or ‘ne’

- Pneumonia

- Psychotic

‘P’ is also not pronounced in certain words like

- Psalm

- Receipt

Silent S

We usually avoid pronouncing ‘S’ when it comes before ‘L’ in words like

- Island

- Aisle

Silent T

‘T’ is not pronounced in words like

- Castle

- Beret

- Listen

- Depot

- Whistle

- Gourmet

Silent U

‘U’ is not pronounced in words when it comes after ‘G’ and is followed by a vowel

- Guess

- Colleague

- Guitar

- Tongue

Silent W

We avoid pronouncing ‘W’ when it begins a word and is followed by ‘R’

- Wrist

- Write

- Wrong

‘W’ is not pronounced in these three pronouns

- Who

- Whose

- Whom

It is also avoided in words like

- Two

- Sword

- Answer

Silent X

‘X’ is not pronounced in most words that have come from the French language

Silent Letters

These are those letters in words which are not pronounced when we say the word. In other words, these letters or alphabets are written when spelling the word but not said out loud verbally. This is mainly because of the changes in pronunciation that the English language has seen over the centuries, in olden times the silent letters used to be pronounced and the spellings also varied greatly. On this page we have listed out the different types of silent alphabets and examples of the words they are used in.

Silent B

The alphabet ‘B’ is not pronounced when it comes after ‘M’ in a word

- Climb

- Plumber

- Tomb

- Comb

Silent C

'C' is not pronounced in words like

- Muscle

- Scissors

- Acquire

Silent D

'D' is not pronounced in words like:

- Sandwich

- Wednesday

- Edge

Silent G

The alphabet is not pronounced when it comes before ‘N’ or ‘M’

- Gnat

- Diaphragm

Silent GH

'GH' is not pronounced before 'T' and at the end of many words

- Rough

- Through

- Alight

- Light

- Borough

Silent H

‘H’ is not pronounced when it comes after ‘W’

- Why

- Whether

- Where

Sometimes the ‘H’ is silent for some words, even when it is the first letter of the word

- Hour

- Heir

‘H’ is not pronounced when it comes before ‘Y’

- Thyme

- Rhyme

Silent K

Whenever ‘K’ is followed by an ‘N’ at the beginning of a word, ‘K’ is not pronounced

- Knot

- Knight

- Knock

- Knowledge

Silent L

‘L’ stays silent in most words when it comes before ‘D’,’ F’, ‘M’, ‘K’.

- Yolk

- Half

- Calm

- Talk

Should

Silent N

‘N’ is not pronounced when it follows ‘M’ in a word

- Autumn

- Column

Silent P

‘P’ remains silent when it starts a word and is followed by ‘sy’ or ‘ne’

- Pneumonia

- Psychotic

‘P’ is also not pronounced in certain words like

- Psalm

- Receipt

Silent S

We usually avoid pronouncing ‘S’ when it comes before ‘L’ in words like

- Island

- Aisle

Silent T

‘T’ is not pronounced in words like

- Castle

- Beret

- Listen

- Depot

- Whistle

- Gourmet

Silent U

‘U’ is not pronounced in words when it comes after ‘G’ and is followed by a vowel

- Guess

- Colleague

- Guitar

- Tongue

Silent W

We avoid pronouncing ‘W’ when it begins a word and is followed by ‘R’

- Wrist

- Write

- Wrong

‘W’ is not pronounced in these three pronouns

- Who

- Whose

- Whom

It is also avoided in words like

- Two

- Sword

- Answer

Silent X

‘X’ is not pronounced in most words that have come from the French language